When Ceilidh Matheson was 17, she was attacked by a gang of 20 thugs who left her emotionally and physically scarred.

Now a 29-year-old mum, she has overcome her fear of returning to the park where the attack took place, but admits to still being wary when strangers approach.

She decided to attend a free safety workshop by Krav Maga Scotland to learn some basic self-defence moves.

Wrist grabs, neck holds and hair pull escape techniques were taught to the 80 women, children and even a few men who signed up for the class at Stirling University. Ceilidh, from Falkirk, left Wednesday’s class feeling much more in control.

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She said: “When I was 17, myself and three friends went to Callander Park on Bonfire Night when we were approached by four girls.

“They asked us for a lighter but we told them, ‘Sorry, we don’t smoke.’ They started trying to distract us by chatting. All of a sudden, they started punching us in the face. More and more people started coming over and it wasn’t until afterwards that we found out 20 people were involved.

The workshop took place at Stirling University (Image: Calum Moffat)

“The boys were holding us down and the girls were beating us up. I was completely powerless and had no idea what to do.

“I was off school for a few weeks because of my injuries. My eye was swollen shut and they pulled my hair out. It’s taken me more than 10 years to build up the courage to go back to the park where it happened.”

Ceilidh Matheson from Falkirk was attacked by 20 thugs when she was 17 (Image: Daily Record)

She added: “When the instructor was going over the safety principles at the beginning, I couldn’t help but think this would be so good for my daughter when she’s a bit older.

“The world is such a different place now from when I was younger and I would want her to be able to defend herself, especially with everything that’s going on just now. Mums themselves should know what to do. What would they do if someone came and attacked their kids while they were at the park?

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Gill added: “When I got grabbed initially, I obviously did what most people would and pulled against it but now they’ve taught me the right way to try get myself out of a grip.

“Even when I was on the ground, getting attacked after they brought me down, now I would use the moves they’ve taught us to push and kick the attackers off."

The instructors also encouraged those under attack to use their voice to shout and swear as much as possible.

The workshop took place at Stirling University (Image: Calum Moffat)

Mum Julie Bird, from Livingston, explained why she decided to bring her 13-year-old daughter Georgie to the workshop.

Julie, 44, said: “I’d like her to be able to look after herself should the need arise, which hopefully it won’t. We stay in a wooded area and there are a few secluded spots.”

University lecturer Brian Smith, 51, from Bonnybridge, came along with his wife Jan, 54, to offer her reassurance. He said: “My wife and I both run and I wanted her to have some self-defence skills. She was a little uncomfortable coming on her own.”

Students try out some moves (Image: Calum Moffat)

After the two-hour class, Jan added: “I was worried about what they were going to ask us to do at first but I found it really quite useful.

“To be able to practise the techniques on someone else as you’re learning them was really good too and better than trying to learn them from a video.”

Instructor Laura Clarke, 28, who has been training in Krav Maga for two years, told how her skills helped de-escalate a potentially dangerous situation.

Fraser Anderson, director of Krav Maga Scotland

She said: “I had to use a hand grab once when I was out in a pub and somebody grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go. I used one of the basic techniques and no harm was caused but it gave that ‘back off’ message that I didn’t want to be touched. It’s a good way to get out of a situation before it could potentially lead to something worse.”

Krav Maga encourages students to avoid confrontation – but if that’s not possible, then it attempts to prepare them to fight as aggressively and quickly as possible.